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Times are tough on the amateur superhero circuit. At least that’s the impression given by John Grant’s “Chicken Bones” video (from his outstanding solo debut, Queen of Denmark). When Grant’s Wonder Bread Man isn’t getting underpaid by little old ladies crossing the street, he’s off hustling deals at the flea market and scraping by on fried chicken dinners.

The video takes a left-turn when John returns home from an epic battle (or bumfight, depending on your point of view) with a supervillain in an empty backlot. Upon nursing his wounds
with a few swigs of homemade potion, a psychedelic jouney ensues through the Wonder Bread Man’s haunted past. Things only get stranger (and more hilarious) from there.

I recently heard this track as mixed into a Sonic Router podcast. It caught me off guard, mainly because I hadn’t listened to the band in about 10 years, but also because I’d forgotten how the band at their most shining can sound like the proto-metalgaze of Hum. If only they’d make an entire album like this. Oh yeah, and by the way, this music video is frickin’ gorgeous.

This playlist began in mid-October with a few songs then it sat for a bit until I had the opportunity to go to Moogfest in Asheville, North Carolina. This three-day festival was full of names I couldn’t wait to see, ones I had barely heard of and others worth exploring (see tracks by The Octopus Project, Devo, Caribou, Neon Indian, and Jonsi). Add in a few new releases and all of sudden another lengthy playlist was ready to share—lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Sheesh! We haven’t even eaten all of our leftover turkey, and yet, us PopMatters music bloggers are already on the naughty list. Last week (!), Cut Copy premiered the track “Take Me Over” from their forthcoming record Zonoscope. Shame on us for not linking to the track sooner. The new record will be released in early February 2011—just far enough away for your fine champagne to be chilled to the perfect temperature. Enjoy.

Most magazines and websites single out the most significant events of the year in a single article or feature. The world of popular music is so big that it begs for a closer look, however. So, let’s single out the biggest events that happened in the world of music one month at a time, starting with January 2010.

Ke$ha’s Animal begins a six-week streak at the top of the Billboard Albums chart, powered by the No.1 single in the country, “Tik Tok”.